George  Washington  Flowers 
Memorial  Collection 


ESTABLISHED  BY  THE 


FAMILY  OF 


COLONEL  FLOWERS 


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The  Perry  Family 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/perryfamilyofher01winb_0 


■J.  W.  Perky,  Norfolk,  Va. 


fF 


THE 

Perry  Family 

•) 

OF 

HERTFORD  COUNTY 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

BY 

EX-JUDGE  BENJ.  B.  WINBORNE 

MURFREESBORO,  N.  C. 

Author  of 

An  Historical  Sketch  of  Political  Economy 
The  Colonial  and  State  History  of  Hertford  Co.,  N.C. 
The  Winborne  Family 
The  Vaughan  Family 


It: 


Raleigh 

Edwards  &  Broughton  Printing  Co. 
1909 


2Bebtcation 


I  dedicate  this  little  book  to  my  friend 
J.  W.  Perry,  of  Norfolk,  Va. 

BENJ.  B.  WINBORNE. 


Sntrobuctum 


Every  one  should  reverence  his  or  her  fam¬ 
ily  history.  I  know  ‘‘the  age  in  which  we 
live  is  one  of  restless  energy,  eager  rush  to 
satisfy  the  needs  of  daily  life,  or  to  grasp 
its  passing  pleasures,  and  scant  time  is 
spared  for  studying  the  annals  of  the  past. 

“But  they  who  do  not  think  it  worth  their 
while  sometimes  to  give  a  thought  to  those 
to  whom  they  owe  their  very  being,”  are 
like  him  who,  Shakespeare  says,  has  no 
music  in  his  soul. 

The  motions  of  their  spirit  are  dull  as 
night,  and  their  affections  dark  as  Erebus, 
as  was  once  said  by  a  great  writer. 

We  should  never  forget  from  whom  we 
sprang;  only  cowards  do  that. 

We  learn  from  Burk’s  History  of  Virginia 
that  William,  George  and  John  Perry  landed 
in  Virginia  about  1620.  William  took  up 
100  acres  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  James 
River  near  the  present  city  of  Richmond. 
George  patented  100  acres  of  land  below 
Southampton  Hundred,  and  John  had  100 
acres  on  James  River  about  fourteen  miles 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


below  Hog  Island.  Whether  these  forerun¬ 
ners  of  the  Perry  family  survived  the  In¬ 
dian  massacre,  and  became  the  ancestors  of 
many  of  the  numerous  American  Perrys  is 
unknown.  They  were  certainly  not  the  an¬ 
cestors  of  all  the  American  families  of 
Perrys,  as  others  by  that  family  name  emi¬ 
grated  to  this  country  in  later  years  from 
the  old  country.  The  Perrys  are  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent. 

Dr.  Lyon  G.  Tyler,  in  Vol.  16,  pages  222-3 
of  William  and  Mary  Quarterly,  writes  that 
among  the  settlers  at  “Pace’s  Pains”  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre  in  1622  were  Richard 
Pace,  Isabella,  his  wife,  Francis  Chapman 
and  Lieut.  William  Perry.  Pace  died  soon 
after  the  massacre,  and  his  widow,  Isabella, 
married  Lieut.  William  Perry.  In  1629 
John  Smyth  and  Lieut.  Wm.  Perry  were  the 
Representatives  from  “Pace’s  Pains,”  on 
James  River,  in  the  Legislature.  Later,  Dr. 
Tyler  writes,  the  Perrys  are  found  at  Burk- 
land,  on  the  James  River. 

Benj.  B.  Winborne. 


January,  1908. 


Contents: 


PAGE 

Benjamin  Perry .  27 

Capt.  Abner  Perry .  51 

Capt.  Abner  J.  Perry .  53 

Captain  Perry’s  children .  52 

Ezekiel  Perry  .  49 

First  Perrys  in  Virginia .  9 

Freeman  Perry,  Esq .  34 

Introduction . 9 

Israel  Perry  .  24 

Jacob  Perry  . 47 

Joseph  Perry  . 44 

Joseph  J.  Perry .  36 

Josiah  Perry .  31 

Josiah  Perry’s  grandchildren. . . . .  35 

Lieut.  Jesse  A.  Perry .  54 

Lieut.  Joseph  William  Perry .  59 

Perrys  in  other  States .  62 

Phillip  Perry,  Sr .  19 

Samuel  Perry .  60 

Sir  Micajah  Perry .  13 

Stephen  B.  Weeks .  26 

Susan  Ann  Perry .  57 

Will  of  Micajah  Perry .  16 


CHAPTER  I 


&ir  Jiltcajaf)  iPerrp 

During  the  last  half  of  the  17th  century 
and  the  first  half  of  the  18th  century  we  find 
Mic-ajah  Perry,  a  man  of  great  wealth,  and 
his  son  Richard  engaged  in  the  commission 
business  in  the  city  of  London,  England, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Perry  &  Son.  Thomas 
Lane,  a  contemporary  of  Micajah  Perry  in 
the  17th  century,  was  also  engaged  in  the 
commission  business  in  the  same  city.  Many 
of  the  colonists  in  Tidewater  Virginia  con¬ 
signed  their  tobacco  and  other  produce  for 
market  to  these  commission  merchants  in 
London.  It  appears  in  the  inventory  of  the 
estate  of  Col.  Jos.  Bridger,  of  Isle  of  Wight 
County,  Va.,  that  in  1G86  Colonel  Bridger 
had  sent  several  bills  of  exchange  to  Micajah 
Perry  &  Son  to  be  placed  to  his  credit.  In 
the  will  of  Capt.  James  Day,  of  Isle  of 
Wight  County,  Va.,  dated  August  10,  1700, 
and  probated  January  9,  1701,  Captain  Day 


14 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


directed  tliat  certain  property  owned  by  him 
in  London  be  sold  by  his  friends,  Micajah 
Perry,  Thomas  Lane  and  Richard  Perry. 

Micajah  Perry  had  several  brothers,  sis¬ 
ters  and  other  relatives  in  Virginia.  Peter, 
Joseph,  Henry  and  Benjamin  Perry  were 
contemporaries  in  Tidewater  Virginia  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  17th  century.  So  were 
Phillip  Perry’s  family,  of  whom  we  shall 
write. 

Peter  Perry  settled  in  York  County,  Va., 
and  was  a  brother  of  Micajah  Perry.  Joseph, 
Henry  and  Benjamin  Perry  belonged  to 
Phillip  Perry’s  family,  and  from  these  fam¬ 
ilies  sprung  the  Perry  families  of  North 
Carolina.  A  sister  of  Peter  and  Micajah 
Perry  married  a  Mr.  Lowe,  and  they  reared 
a  son,  Micajah  Lowe,  and  three  daughters, 
Susannah,  Johanna  and  Mary. 

The  names  of  Susannah  and  Mary  have 
been  family  names  in  the  Perry  families  for 
many  generations  since.  Micajah  Lowe  and 
his  wife,  Sarah,  lived  in  Charles  City 
County,  Va.,  and  left  issue. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


15 


William  Edwards,  who  served  in  the 
House  of  Burgesses  from  Surry  County, 
Va.,  in  1707,  first  married  the  daughter  of 
Col.  Benj.  Harrison,  and  after  her  death  he 
married  the  daughter  of  Micajah  Lowe,  and 
left  several  children  by  this  marriage.  Mi¬ 
cajah  Lowe  in  his  will,  probated  in  1703, 
refers  to  his  uncle,  Micajah  Perry,  of  Lon¬ 
don,  and  appoints  him  one  of  his  executors. 

Micajah  Perry  was,  during  the  17th  cen¬ 
tury,  the  most  conspicuous  merchant  in  the 
Old  Country  in  supplying  the  planters  and 
colonists  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina 
with  goods  of  all  kinds  in  exchange  for  their 
tobacco  and  other  products.  He  was  the 
banker  and  commission  merchant  for  these 
people.  He  was  often  left  the  executor  of 
those  leaving  large  estates.  The  new  set¬ 
tlers  had  unbounded  confidence  in  his  abil¬ 
ity  and  honesty  of  character.  He  was  often 
a  visitor  in  these  colonies  and  was  well 
known  to  these  people.  He  was  often  sent 
to  these  colonies  as  the  duly  commissioned 
agent  of  the  Crown  to  advise  and  negotiate 
with  the  colonists. 


16 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Among  the  largest  contributors  to  the 
original  endowment  of  William  and  Mary 
College  in  Virginia  were  Micajah  Perry, 
Thomas  Lane  and  Richard  Perry,  each  giv¬ 
ing  £50  for  that  purpose. 

Micajah  Perry  served  as  alderman  of  the 
city  of  London  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th. 
century  and  later  as  Lord  Mayor  of  London 
during  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary.  He 
died  in  1721,  and  his  mercantile  business 
was  continued  by  his  grandson,  Micajah 
Perry,  and  Phillip  Perry. 

Will  of  Micajah  Perry. 

London,  December  22,  1720.  This  I  leave 
as  a  scheme  of  my  last  will  and  Testament 
tho’  intend  to  do  it  in  a  more  ample  forme 
but  if  any  way  diverted  by  any  accident,  Do 
declare  this  to  be  my  last  Will  and  Testa¬ 
ment  written  by  my  own  hand  (that  is  to 
say).  I  give  to  Christ’s  hospital  one  hun¬ 
dred  pounds,  I  give  to  the  workhouse  one 
hundred  pounds,  I  give  to  Mary  and  Susana 
Lowe  each  fifty  pounds.  I  give  Sister  Eliza¬ 
beth  Evans  twenty  pounds  p.  Annum  during 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


17 


her  natural  life.  I  give  to  my  two  Grand¬ 
daughters  (sic)  Mary  and  Elizabeth  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  between  them  out  of  the 
money  due  to  me  from  the  cash  in  trade  to 
be  paid  as  their  father  (in  same  manner  as) 
what  he  hath  left  them  by  his  will.  I  give 
to  my  said  granddaughters  further  my  lease 
of  Eaton  in  Bedfordshire  that  I  hold  of 
Trinity  College  in  Cambridge  with  all  the 
profits  from  the  time  of  my  death  I  say  my 
grand  daughters  Mary  and  Elizabeth.  I 
give  my  grandson  Micajah  Perry  my  third 
part  of  Chester’s  Key  to  his  him  and  his 
heirs  forever.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my 
two  grandsons  Micajah  and  Phillip  Perry 
all  the  rest  of  my  money  due  to  me  and  half 
part  in  trade  and  all  my  interest  in  Shipping 
and  Debts  due  in  trade  and  in  any  place 
wherever  the  just  debts  being  first  paid. 

I  give  to  my  grandson  Phillip  all  my 
household  goods  of  what  kind  whatsoever 
and  do  desire  to  be  buried  in  Bishope 
Church  in  the  Middle  Isle  near  the  step  into 
the  Chancell,  where  my  dear  wife  lies.  This 
is  all  at  present  that  I  shall  mention  till  I 
2 


18 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


may  have  an  opportunity  to  do  and  settle 
in  form,  and  do  appoint  my  daughter  Sarah 
Perry  with  her  two  sons  Micajah  and  Phillip 
Perry  my  executors. 

Witness  my  hand  the  day  and  year1  above 
written. 

Micajah  Perry. 

Signed,  sealed,  published  and  declared  to 
be  the  last  Will  and  Testament  of  Micajah 
Perry  in  the  presence  of  us  this  27th  Sep¬ 
tember  1721. 

John  Warr. 

James  Johnston 

Jonathan  Walker 

Proved  Oct.  3  1721  by  executrix 

Sarah  Perry,  widow.  [Parish  of  St. 
Catherine  Cree,  London.  Probate  Act  Book, 
Prerogative  Court  of  Canterbury,  Register 
“Buckingham”  folio  185.] 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


19 


CHAPTER  II 


iPfnUtp  $err|>,  g>r. 

During  the  second  quarter  of  the  17th 
century  Phillip  Perry,  Sr.,  came  to  America 
from  old  England  and  settled  within  the 
boundaries  of  Isle  of  Wight  County,  Va. 
This  county  was  one  of  the  eight  original 
shires  of  Virginia,  as  the  counties  were  then 
called,  and  embraced  the  territory  of  South¬ 
ampton  County,  Va.,  up  to  1748,  and  bor¬ 
dered  on  the  North  Carolina  line. 

Phillip  Perry  represented  some  of  the 
most  sterling  and  worthy  families  of  the 
Old  Country  who  grew  tired  and  weary  with 
the  tyranny,  oppression  and  cruel  wars  of 
England,  to  gratify  the  bloody  ambitions  of 
dishonorable  schemers  to  gain  power  that 
they  might  revel  in  disgrace  and  crime. 

He  became  a  large  landowner  and  a  prom¬ 
inent  and  respected  citizen  of  Isle  of  Wight 
County.  He  served  with  honor  his  county 
and  province  in  several  important  official 


20 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


positions.  He  was  the  uncle  of  the  old  Lon¬ 
don  merchant,  Micajah  Perry.  Phillip  was 
a.  cherished  family  name,  as  shown  by  the 
persistency  of  the  family  in  retaining  it 
through  generations. 

Among  the  old  records  of  Isle  of  Wight 
County,  Va.,  we  find  the  will  of  Phillip 
Perry,  dated  November  20,  1667,  and  pro¬ 
bated  October  9,  1669.  He  gives  his  age  as 
“70  years  or  thereabouts,”  and  mentions  his 
wife,  Grace,  and  sons  Phillip  and  John, 
under  age.  In  July,  1686,  Thos.  Green,  of 
Isle  of  Wight  County,  consigns  his  tobacco 
to  Micajah  Perry  and  Thomas  Lane,  Lon¬ 
don,  for  sale.  In  1693  John  Perry,  of  the 
same  county,  son  of  Phillip  Perry,  deceased, 
conveyed  a  tract  of  land  in  that  county  to 
Col.  Joseph  Bridger,  lying  in  Whitemarsh. 

Capt.  John  Perry,  of  Westmoreland 
County,  Va.,  was  a  prominent  man  in  his 
section  prior  to  1661.  Whether  he  was  the 
brother  of  Phillip  Perry  can  not  be  ascer¬ 
tained,  nor  can  we  trace  the  relationship,  if 
any,  between  them.  Phillip  Perry,  Sr.,  had 
other  sons  than  Phillip  and  John.  James 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


21 


Perry,  Jacob  Perry  and  Joseph  Perry  were 
also  bis  sons. 

After  the  17tli  century  many  of  the  well- 
to-do  families  of  Virginia  left  the  colony 
and  moved  to  the  more  attractive  lands  and 
homes  in  the  old  Albemarle  section  of  North 
Carolina.  Among  those  who  were  attracted 
by  the  rich  soil,  beautiful  homes,  delightful 
climate  and  good  government  were  several 
of  the  members  of  the  Perrys  of  southwest¬ 
ern  Virginia,  as  it  will  now  appear. 

In  the  old  records  in  Edenton,  N.  C.,  we 
find  a  grant  of  land  from  Jeremiah  Perry 
and  wife,  Jane,  to  Christian  Blount,  dated 
October  8,  1694. 

Francis  and  Jeremiah  Perry  are  familiar 
names  in  the  Virginia  and  North  Carolina 
families.  Capt.  Henry  Perry,  of  Northamp¬ 
ton  County,  Va.,  was  closely  connected  with 
Capt.  Francis  Pott’s  family,  and  Captain 
Perry  and  wife  are  mentioned  in  the  will  of 
Captain  Pott,  which  is  dated  in  October, 
1658. 

The  Francis  Perry,  the  Jeremiah  Perry 
and  the  John  Perry  to  whom  the  Earl 


22 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


of  Granville  granted  lands  in  Franklin 
County,  N.  C.,  about  the  middle  of  tbe  18tli 
century,  were  from  Chowan  and  Perquimans 
counties,  N.  C.  The  Perrys  of  Virginia  were 
also  connected  by  marriage  with  the  leading 
Virginia  family  of  Kennons,  who  intermar¬ 
ried  with  the  Bullocks  of  Granville  County, 
N.  C.  They  were  also  connected  by  mar¬ 
riage  with  the  old  Broadnax  family  of  the 
Old  Dominion. 

In  1707  Daniel  Pugh,  of  Nansemond,  con¬ 
veyed  a  tract  of  land  to  Samuel  Smith  lying 
on  Middle  Swamp,  adjoining  the  lands  of 
John  Perry  and  others.  Several  of  the 
Perrys  owned  land  on  this  swamp.  In  1719 
James  Perry  and  wife,  Patience,  of  Nanse¬ 
mond  County,  conveyed  land  on  Middle 
Swamp,  that  runs  out  of  Bennett’s  Creek 
in  Chown  County,  N.  C.,  to  his  brother, 
John  Perry,  of  Nansemond  County,  Va., 
and  Jacob  Perry  is  one  of  the  witnesses  to 
the  deed.  In  1715  Francis  West,  of  Nanse¬ 
mond  County,  in  his  will  speaks  of  Judith 
and  Thomas  Perry.  Judith  Perry  married 
Abram  Hill,  of  Nansemond  County,  Va., 
and  they  moved  to  North  Carolina.  On 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


23 


July  26,  1740,  they  conveyed  to  John  Perry, 
of  Bertie,  100  acres  of  land,  and  in  1756 
they  conveyed  to  Josiah  Granberry  a  tract 
of  land  in  Bertie  (now  Hertford)  on  Me- 
lierrin  Swamp,  which  was  purchased  from 
John  Perry,  of  Bertie  County. 

In  1728  Benjamin  Perry  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Lane,  the  old  London  merchant,  140 
acres  of  land  lying  on  Chowan  River  and 
Deep  Run.  Susannah  Perry,  his  sister,  is 
a  witness  to  the  deed.  Thomas  Speight,  of 
Nansemond,  in  1700  conveyed  land  in  North 
Carolina  to  John  Perry.  I  have  been  un¬ 
able  to  locate  this  land,  but  it  was  in  the 
Albemarle  section. 

In  1734,  1735  and  1736  we  find  William 
Perry  signing  as  witness  to  deeds  for  lands 
in  Chowan  and  Bertie  counties.  Several 
of  the  children  of  Phillip  Perry,  Sr.,  of  Isle 
of  Wight  County,  Va.,  and  several  of  his 
brothers  moved  to  Perquimans  County.  His 
grandson,  Phillip,  died  in  Perquimans  in 
1751,  leaving  a  will  in  which  he  speaks  of 
his  son  Jesse,  and  Phillip,  brothers  John 
and  Joseph  and  Jacob  Perry,  son  of  his 
brother  Joseph.  In  1759  Joseph  and  Ben- 


24 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


jamin  Perry  witnessed  the  will  of  Joseph 
Riddick,  of  Perquimans. 

In  1749  Jacob  Perry,  Sr.,  Israel  Perry 
and  Jacob  Perry,  Jr.,  witnessed  the  will  of 
Isaac  Wilson  in  Perquimans,  Avho  married 
the  daughter  of  Jacob,  brother  to  Israel, 
Phillip  and  Benjamin  Perry. 

3ferael  $terrp 

Israel  Perry,  son  of  John  Perry  and  wife, 
Mary,  and  grandson  of  Phillip  Perry,  Sr., 
died  in  1779,  leaving  a  will.  His  sons  were 
Josiah,  Israel,  John,  Cader,  Jacob,  Jesse, 
and  daughters,  Millicent,  Ruth,  Rachel,  Ann 
and  Priscilla.  He  had  other  children.  He 
appointed  his  brother  Phillip  Perry  and 
Thomas  Twine  his  executors,  and  Jacob  and 
Benjamin  Perry  are  witnesses  to  the  will. 

Ruth  Perry  married  Micajah  Hill,  of 
Perquimans  County,  May  12,  1763.  Rachel 
married  Richard  Skinner  December  11, 
1770. 

Priscilla  married  Thomas  Twine.  Jacob 
Perry,  the  brother  of  Israel  and  Phillip, 
died  about  1777.  His  will  is  dated  March 
4,  1775,  and  probated  in  October,  1777.  His 
children  mentioned  are  Jacob,  Israel, 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


25 


Reuben,  Dempsey  and  John,  and  daughters, 
Priscilla,  wife  of  Dempsey  Welch,  Ann, 
wife  of  Caleb  Winslow,  and  grandson,  Isaac 
Wilson,  son  of  Isaac  Wilson,  Sr.,  and  daugh¬ 
ter  Hepzibah,  wife  of  Hardy  Stallings. 
Jacob  Perry,  Sr.,  the  son  of  the  Benjamin 
Perry  and  wife,  Susan,  who  made  the  con¬ 
veyance  of  land  in  1728,  was  brother  of  Ben¬ 
jamin  Perry  II,  and  died  in  1790.  He  men¬ 
tions  in  his  will  his  wife,  Mary,  sons,  Miles, 
Leah,  Lawrence  and  Benjamin  Perry,  and 
daughters,  Hepsebeth  and  Sally  Mariah 
Bunch,  Mary  Perry  and  granddaughter, 
Priscilla  Perry,  daughter  of  Leah  Perry. 

His  brother  Benjamin  is  one  of  the  wit¬ 
nesses  to  his  will. 

Jacob’s  daughter,  Mary,  died  unmarried 
in  1797,  and  she  speaks  in  her  will  of  her 
mother,  Mary,  cousins  Mary  and  Hannah 
Bunch,  and  cousin  John  Perry,  the  son  of 
Israel,  cousin  Jacob  Boyce  and  brother, 
Lawrence  Perry. 

Jesse  Perry,  son  of  Israel  Perry,  married 
December  12,  1777,  Miss  Elizabeth  Lindner. 


26 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


g>tepf)en  OTeefesi 

Sallie  Perry,  daughter  of  Jacob  Perry, 
Sr.,  married  about  the  year  1790,  shortly 
after  the  death  of  her  father,  Lemuel 
Weeks.  There  were  six  children  by  this 
marriage — John,  James,  Hugh,  Polly,  who 
married  Cornelius  Paper,  a  daughter  who 
married  a  Benton,  and  Nancy. 

James  and  Hugh  died  young  and  without 
issue. 

Lemuel  Weeks  died  in  the  year  1803,  leav¬ 
ing  his  wife,  Sally,  and  son,  John,  and  sev¬ 
eral  grandchildren  surviving  him.  The 
widow  died  in  1826  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
John  Weeks,  on  Little  River  in  Pasquotank 
County,  N.  C. 

Lemuel  Weeks  was  the  son  of  Thomas 
Weeks  (who  died  in  1808)  and  wife,  of  Per¬ 
quimans  County,  N.  C. 

John  Weeks,  the  son  of  Lemuel  Weeks 
and  wife,  Sally,  was  the  grandfather  of 
Stephen  B.  Weeks,  the  distinguished  writer 
and  historian  of  North  Carolina. 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


27 


CHAPTER  III 


Penjamtn  iPerrp 

There  were  three  Benjamin  Perrys  among 
the  older  members  in  Perquimans.  .  Benja¬ 
min  Perry  I  died  March  11,  1788.  His  wife 
was  named  Susan,  and  they  had  several  chil¬ 
dren,  among  them  were  Benjamin  II,  who 
died  January  10,  1784,  and  his  wife,  Han¬ 
nah,  died  November,  1791.  Benjamin  Perry 
III  represented  Perquimans  County  in  the 
House  of  Commons  in  1790.  The  first  Ben¬ 
jamin  had  a  son  named  Ezekiel,  who  moved 
to  Hertford  County  prior  to  the  Revolution¬ 
ary  War  and  settled  in  the  St.  John’s  sec¬ 
tion. 

Joseph  Perry,  of  Perquimans,  died  in 
1801,  and  Jesse  died  in  the  same  year.  Jesse 
left  the  following  children :  Mary,  Eliza¬ 
beth,  Millicent,  Rachel,  who  married  a 
Nicholson,  Benjamin,  John  and  Josiah; 
Margaret,  Christian,  Martha,  Sally,  Asen- 
ith,  William  and  Robert. 


28 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 

Jesse  was  a  son  of  Phillip  Perry,  Sr.,  and 
uncle  of  Josiah  Perry  who  moved  to  Bertie 
County  the  latter  part  of  the  18th  century 
and  settled  near  the  Powellsville  section. 

Robert  Perry,  the  son  of  Jesse,  repre¬ 
sented  Perquimans  County  in  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1817,  1818,  1819  and  again  in 
1826  and  1827,  and  Josiah,  his  brother,  rep¬ 
resented  the  county  in  1834. 

Jesse  Perry  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Lind¬ 
ner  December  12,  1777. 

Phillip,  the  son  of  Jacob  Perry,  died  in 
1809,  leaving  sons,  Isaac,  Seth,  Daniel, 
John;  daughters,  Millicent,  Chloe  Riddick, 
Christian  White  and  Elizabeth  Saunders. 

Thomas  Perry  died  in  1814,  and  speaks 
of  his  mother,  Millicent,  and  brother, 
James. 

Jacob  Perry  died  in  1814,  leaving  his 
wife,  Sarah,  and  brother,  John,  surviving. 

Benjamin  Perry  III  married  Millicent 
Riddick,  of  Perquimans,  December  13,  1785, 
and  they  had  the  following  children :  Mary, 
born  October  26,  1786;  Thomas,  born  Janu- 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


29 


ary  27,  1789;  James,  born  August  T3,  1792; 
Joseph,  born  December  20,  1796;  Christian, 
born  December  20,  1798. 

William  Hollowell  married  Mary  Perry 
July  6,  1778.  She  was  probably  a  daughter 
of  Israel  Perry,  Sr.  The  latter  had  several 
daughters  and  sons  whose  names  are  not 
on  the  old  memoranda  before  me. 

Reuben  Perry  married  Elizabeth  Pearson 
January  18,  1780. 

Amos  Perry  married  his  cousin,  Eliza¬ 
beth  Perry,  February  10,  1783. 

Thomas  Stanton  married,  also,  a  Miss 
Elizabeth  Perry  August  28,  1784. 

Israel  Perry,  Jr.,  married  Miriam  Hollo¬ 
well  April  4,  1785. 

Seth  Perry  married  Mary  Riddick  Decem¬ 
ber  29,  1785. 

Susannah  Perry  married  Moses  Howard 
June  2,  1790. 

Leverne  Garriss  married  Sarah  Perry  De¬ 
cember  27,  1791.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Jacob  Perry,  Sr. 

Jacob  Perry  married  Ruth  Chappell  Au- 


30 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


gust  18,  1791,  and  Reuben  Perry,  his 
brother,  married  Dorcas  Chappell  January 
11,  1791. 

William  Perry,  heretofore  mentioned, 
married  Ferebe  White  April  21,  1791. 

The  Perrys  of  Tidewater  Virginia  not 
only  sent  representatives  of  their  families  to 
northeastern  North  Carolina,  but  some  of 
them  moved  to  other  parts  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina.  Franklin  County,  N.  C., 
and  that  section  of  the  State  became  the 
home  of  several  of  them.  I  have  been  care¬ 
ful  in  giving  the  names  of  the  heads  of  the 
several  families  and  the  children  to  show 
that  the  North  Carolina  Perrys  are  of  the 
same  families  that  settled  in  Tidewater  Vir¬ 
ginia  in  the  17th  century. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  give  a  sketch  of 
Ezekiel  Perry’s  family,  of  Hertford  County, 
and  of  Josiah  Perry’s  family,  who  settled  in 
Bertie  County  near  the  Hertford  County 
line  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  century. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


31 


CHAPTER  IV 


3fosiiaf)  iPerrp 

Josiah  Perry,  son  of  Israel  Perry,  Sr., 
and  his  wife,  Priscilla,  was  born  in  Per¬ 
quimans  County,  N.  C.,  November  19,  1741. 
After  reaching  mature  manhood  he,  in  1761, 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Twine,  daughter  of 
John  Twine  and  wife,  Pleasant,  of  his  native 
county.  Josiah  Perry  was  a  strong  and 
vigorous  man,  with  a  strong  and  clear  mind, 
and  was  energetic  in  his  habits.  During 
his  manhood  he  was  consulted  by  his  neigh¬ 
bors  and  friends  in  their  business  matters 
and  took  the  place  of  a  lawyer  in  writing 
their  contracts,  deeds  and  wills,  and  in  ad¬ 
vising  generally  in  their  business.  The  late 
Maj.  Jno.  W.  Moore  stated  to  the  writer 
that  Josiah  Perry  was  a  licensed  attorney 
and  practiced  in  the  courts  of  the  Albemarle 
section,  and  resided  in  Pasquotank  County, 
N.  C.,  before  moving  to  Bertie  County.  In 
the  U.  S.  Census  of  1790  there  does  appear 
the  name  of  “Josiah  Perry,  Esq.,”  in  Pas- 


32 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


quotank  County.  He  accumulated  a  con¬ 
siderable  estate.  Before  moving  to  Bertie 
he  owned  large  landed  estates  in  Pasquo¬ 
tank,  Perquimans  and  Edgecombe  counties, 
N.  C.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Eliz¬ 
abeth,  he  married  Miss  Amillicent  Freeman, 
daughter  of  John  Freeman  and  wife,  Sarah, 
of  Bertie  County,  and  several  years  there¬ 
after  bought  lands  in  the  Powellsville  sec¬ 
tion  in  Bertie  County,  and  settled  on  his 
lands  adjoining  the  lands  of  Timothy  Wal¬ 
ton.  He  also  purchased  from  John  Win- 
borne  the  Liberty  Hill  Fishery  on  the 
Chowan  River,  which  he  devised  in  his  will 
to  his  wife  for  life,  and  then  to  his  son,  Free¬ 
man,  and  daughter,  Amillicent.  He  was  also 
a  large  slaveowner.  He  died  in  1821,  leav¬ 
ing  a  will  of  record  in  Bertie  County.  It 
is  a  long  and  interesting  document.  He  de¬ 
vised  lands,  slaves  and  other  property  to 
each  of  his  children. 

Josiah  Perry’s  children  by  his  first  mar¬ 
riage  were:  Sarah,  William,  Christian, 
John,  Mary,  Josiah,  Elizabeth  and  Ber- 
sheba. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


33 


Sarah  married  a  Stephens.  Christian 
married  a  son  of  Timothy  Walton,  of  Ber¬ 
tie  County.  Mary  married  Samuel  Jenkins, 
son  of  John  Jenkins,  of  Bertie  County,  and 
brother  of  Winborne  Jenkins,  of  that 
county,  and  uncle  of  Capt.  Irvin  Jenkins, 
of  the  War  of  1812,  December  15,  1788. 
They  left  a  son,  Jos.  J.  Jenkins.  Bersheba 
married  Jesse  Garrett. 

Elizabeth  married  an  Odom,  and  they 
left  one  child,  Sally  Odom. 

Josiah  Perry’s  children  by  his  second 
marriage  to  Miss  Freeman  were:  James, 
Celia,  Freeman,  Nancy,  Penelope,  Frusanna 
and  Amillicent. 

James  Perry  married,  June  7, 1809,  Sarah 
Parker,  of  Bertie  County,  and  died  Decem¬ 
ber  1,  1811,  leaving  one  child,  Jeremiah 
Perry. 

Celia  married  Miles  Rayner,  a  cousin  of 
Amos  Rayner,  the  father  of  Hon.  Kenneth 
Rayner. 

Josiah  Perry  had  brothers  Jacob  and 
John  living  in  Hertford  and  Bertie  counties. 


3 


34 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Jfreeman  jperrp,  €jS(j. 

Freeman  Perry  married  Miss  Pattie 
Simons,  sister  of  John  Simons,  who  married 
his  sister,  Amillicent.  Freeman  Perry  was 
a  man  of  affairs,  and  possessed  a  good  estate 
in  Bertie  County.  His  children  were  James 
S.  Perry,  Joseph  J.  Perry,  Wm.  N.  Perry, 
Joshua  S.  Perry. 

Nancy  Perry  married  William  Balfour, 
of  Edgecombe  County,  N.  C.  Balfour  was 
one  of  the  Representatives  of  Edgecombe 
County  in  the  House  of  Commons  of  the 
State  in  1809  and  1811.  They  left  one  child, 
Josiah  Balfour. 

Penelope  Perry  married  Isaac  Sessoms, 
of  Edgecombe  County,  and  they  left  one 
son,  Sanitor  Sessoms.  Isaac  Sessoms  was 
one  of  the  Representatives  from  Edgecombe 
County  in  the  House  of  Commons  in  1778, 
and  Senator  in  1782  and  1784. 

Frusanna  Perry  married  Joseph  Mercer, 
of  Edgecombe  County,  and  they  had  one 
son,  Joseph  J.  Mercer. 

Amillicent  Perry  married  John  Simons, 
of  Bertie  County.  John  Simons  was  the 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


35 


son  of  Joshua  Simons,  of  Pasquotank 
County,  by  his  first  marriage.  The  children 
of  this  marriage  were  Lavinia,  Elizabeth, 
Nancy,  John  and  Edward  P.  Simons. 

Josiah  Perry’s  second  wife,  Amillicent 
Freeman,  was  the  niece  of  Joshua  Freeman. 
Her  father’s  will  is  dated  in  1793  and  was 
probated  at  November  term,  1793,  of  Bertie 
Court. 

John  Winborne  was  guardian  of  William, 
James  and  Joseph  J.  Perry,  orphans  of 
Freeman  Perry. 

John  Freeman  left  surviving  him  his 
widow,  Sarah,  and  sons  Charles,  Hardy, 
Jeremiah  and  John ;  daughters,  Rachel  Out¬ 
law,  Leah  Lurry,  Amillicent  Perry,  wife  of 
Josiah  Perry,  Christian  Norfleet,  Delilah 
Ward  and  Elizabeth  Freeman.  One  of  the 
older  Perrys  evidently  married  in  the  John 
Winborne  family. 

HTosiaf)  Jerry’S  (Hranbcfctlbren 

We  will  mention  them  according  to  age, 
taking  first  the  oldest: 

James  S.  Perry  lived  in  Hertford  County, 
and  often  held  official  position  in  the  county. 


'36 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


He  married  Susannah  Penelope  Jenkins, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Jr.,  and 
sister  to  Winborne  Jenkins  III.  They  left 
no  issue.  His  widow  died  at  the  home  of 
the  writer  in  the  year  1901,  and  is  buried  in 
the  churchyard  of  Mt.  Tabor  church,  in 
Hertford  County,  N.  C.  She  was  the  great 
half-aunt  to  the  writer’s  wife.  It  would 
take  the  author  of  the  book  “Metaxnorpha” 
to  figure  out  the  relationship.  She  was  a 
splendid  and  ideal  woman.  The  writer  is 
told  that  Mrs.  Penny  Perry  was  the  half- 
sister  and  half-aunt  of  the  author’s  wife’s 
mother.  Her  mother,  while  a  widow,  mar¬ 
ried  my  wife’s  mother’s  father,  a  widower. 
Both  had  children  by  former  marriages. 

SToseplj  3-  $errj> 

Joseph  J.  Perry  was  born  December  25, 
1817,  and  married  Mary  E.  Sessoms,  the 
daughter  of  William  Wynns  Sessoms  II. 
The  latter  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Elenor 
Sessoms,  who  married  the  daughter  of  Capt. 
Geo.  Wynns  and  sister  of  Col.  Benj.  Wynns, 
who  was  famous  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1776-82. 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


37' 


Miss  Sessoms  was  a  beautiful  womau  with 
a  bright  and  cheerful  disposition.  She  was 
born  November  25,  1825,  and  died  April  25, 
1879.  For  a  number  of  years  prior  to  her 
death  she  was  a  great  sufferer  from  rheuma¬ 
tism,  and  had  to  move  about  in  an  invalid’s 
chair.  Notwithstanding  her  misfortunes 
and  sufferings  she  was  at  all  times  cheerful, 
fond  of  talking  and  interesting.  Her  hus¬ 
band,  Joseph  J.  Perry,  was  a  successful 
planter  and  ranked  high  as  a  man  where  he 
was  known.  Their  children  were  Joseph 
William  Perry,  Henry  T.  Perry,  Laura  E. 
Perry,  Martha  S.  Perry  and  Ernest  Perry. 

William  N.  Perry  lived  in  Hertford 
County,  and  was  in  1830  appointed  by  the 
Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  of  the 
county  a  constable,  a  position  considered  at 
that  time  one  of  honor  and  distinction.  In 
1845  we  find  him  a,  justice  of  the  peace  and 
a  member  of  said  court. 

Joshua  S.  Perry  died  August  6,  1825, 
while  very  young. 

Lavinia  Simons,  daughter  of  John  Simons 


38 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


and  liis  wife,  Amillicent,  was  born  in  1816, 
and  married  J.  Benbury  Sharp,  of  Hertford 
County.  She  died  in  1872,  leaving  several 
children  surviving  her. 

Elizabeth,  sister  of  Lavinia,  was  born 
February  8,  1819.  She  married  Jacob 
Sharp,  of  Hertford  County,  and  died  in 
1881,  leaving  surviving  her  several  children. 
Their  sister,  Nancy,  was  born  in  1821,  and 
married  John  Winborne,  and  died  in  1866. 

Edward  P.  Simons,  son  of  John  and  wife, 
Amillicent,  was  born  in  1827,  and  married 
a  Miss  Wilson.  He  died  in  1890.  John 
Simons,  brother  of  Edward  P.,  was  born  in 
1824,  and  married  a  Miss  Sessoms.  He  died 
in  1866. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


39 


CHAPTER  V 


Uteut.  TOliUtam  3Perrp 

Lieut.  Joseph  William  Perry,  great-grand¬ 
son  of  Josiah  Perry,  grandson  of  Freeman 
Perry  and  son  of  Joseph  J.  Perry  and  wife, 
Mary  E.  Perry,  nee  Sessoms,  was  born  in 
Bertie  County  March  3,  1845.  He  lived 
with  his  parents  on  their  plantation,  which 
was  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Perrys,  until 
about  1861,  when  he  entered  the  Academy, 
a  school  of  high  rank  at  Harrellsville,  in 
Hertford  County,  N.  C.,  and  prosecuted  his 
studies  until  in  1863,  when  he  arrived  at  the 
age  of  18  years.  He  then  entered  the  Con¬ 
federate  army  as  a  private  in  Capt.  Langley 
Tayloe’s  Company;  and  his  company  was 
camped  at  Bethlehem,  in  Hertford  County, 
and  later  moved  to  Camp  Gatling  near 
Murfreesboro.  While  at  the  latter  camp 
the  68th  North  Carolina  Regiment  was  or¬ 
ganized,  with  James  W.  Hinton,  of  Pasquo¬ 
tank,  as  Colonel;  Edward  C.  Yellowly,  of 


40 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Pitt  County,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  young 
Perry  was  made  Sergeant.  He  served  in 
that  capacity  in  the  68th  Regiment  until 
February,  1864,  when  he  was  ordered  by 
Colonel  Hinton  to  report  to  Col.  James  M. 
Wynn  as  Adjutant  of  Wynn’s  Battalion  of 
Cavalry.  He  then  did  service  in  the  army 
of  Northern  Virginia  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  a  brave  and  true  soldier.  He 
inherited  much  of  the  energy,  business  tact 
and  skill,  Irish  courage  and  frankness,  great 
benevolence  and  nobility  of  heart  and  soul 
that  so  strongly  characterized  his  great¬ 
grandfather  and  his  early  ancestors  who 
first  landed  on  American  soil.  After  the 
closing  of  hostilities  between  the  States  he 
returned  to  his  home  and  remained  on  his 
father’s  plantation  until  the  war  clouds  par¬ 
tially  passed  over,  some  money  could  be 
realized  and  the  doors  of  the  schools  were 
again  opened  to  the  Southern  young  men. 
In  1867  he  entered  a  business  college  in 
New  York  State  and  graduated  there  with 
distinction.  He  then  returned  to  North 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


41 


Carolina  and  settled  in  Winton,  N.  C., 
where  he  was  employed  as  clerk  for  Jordan 
&  Overby,  who  were  engaged  in  the  mer¬ 
cantile  and  sawmill  business.  In  April, 
1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Jer- 
nigan,  daughter  of  L.  R.  Jernigan  and  wife, 
Nancy,  of  Hertford  County,  N.  C.  In  1870 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Judge  of  the  Dis¬ 
trict  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Hert¬ 
ford  County  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  his  wife’s  uncle.  He  resigned 
this  position  January  2,  1872,  and  entered 
the  mercantile  and  sawmill  business  with 
Jno.  G.  Overby  at  Winton.  He  remained 
in  this  business  until  1877,  when  he  moved 
to  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  joined  Col.  Wm.  D. 
McGloughan  in  the  cotton  commission  busi¬ 
ness  May  1,  1877,  under  the  firm  name  of 
McGloughan  &  Perry.  He  has  since  con¬ 
tinued  in  the  commission  business,  and  he  is 
to-day  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest  com¬ 
mission  houses  in  Norfolk.  He  has  directed 
his  attention  to  other  enterprises  with  great 
success,  and  has  been  for  some  years  vice- 


42 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


president  of  the  Citizens  Bank  of  his  city. 
He  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  best  known 
men  of  the  city.  He  is  a  true  and  loyal 
friend  to  deserving  young  men,  but  despises 
sham  and  trickery.  He  and  his  wife  and  two 
daughters,  Maude  and  Mary,  are  still  living- 
in  Norfolk.  In  Clark’s  Regimental  History 
of  the  North  Carolina  troops  in  the  Con¬ 
federate  Army  it  is  said  of  this  J.  W.  Perry, 
‘‘No  braver  or  better  officer  was  in  our  army 
than  Adjutant  J.  W.  Perry.”  Vol.  IV,  page 
368.  What  Micajah  Perry  was  to  the  people 
of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  in  the  17th 
and  18th  centuries,  J.  W.  Perry,  of  Norfolk, 
Va.,  has  been  to  them  in  the  19th  and  20th 
centuries. 

Henry  T.  Perry,  brother  of  Jos.  W.  Perry, 
was  born  May  18,  1847.  After  reaching  ma¬ 
turity  he  moved  to  Indiana,  married  there, 
and  has  reared  quite  an  interesting  family. 

Their  sister,  Laura  E.,  was  born  June 
20,  1849,  and  married  J.  Washington 
Mitchell,  of  Bertie  County.  They  are  still 
living  and  have  issue. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


43 


Their  sister,  Martha  S.  Perry,  was  born 
July  17,  1851,  and  married  Daniel  Van  Pelt 
Sessoms,  of  Hertford  County.  They  are 
also  living  and  have  several  children,  one  of 
,  whom  is  Mrs.  J.  W.  Weaver,  of  Rich  Square. 

The  youngest  child  of  Jos.  J.  Perry  and 
wife,  Mary  E.,  is  Ernest  Perry,  born  Sep¬ 
tember  5,  1867.  He  has  never  married  and 
is  engaged  with  his  brother,  J.  W.  Perry 
in  the  commission  business  in  Norfolk. 

Joseph  J.  Perry’s  wife,  Mary  E.,  having 
died  in  1879,  he  on  December  10,  1879,  mar¬ 
ried  Miss  Emma  D.  Lewis,  and  had  one 
daughter,  Josie,  born  May  10, 1882,  and  died 
May  1,  1905. 

Jos.  J.  Perry  died  May  9,  1882,  leaving 
his  widow,  Emma  D.,  surviving. 


44 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


CHAPTER  VI 


STosiept  ^errj» 

Josepli  Perry,  of  Perquimans  County,  N. 
C.,  moved  to  Hertford  County  about  1765. 
He  was  a  brother  of  Josiah  Perry.  The 
writer  has  seen  a  deed  from  Wm.  W. 
Stephens,  of  Hertford  County,  to  Joseph 
Perry,  of  Perquimans  County,  for  a  tract 
in  the  Harrellsville  section  for  200  acres  of 
land,  adjoining  the  lands  of  Lazarus 
Thomas,  dated  June  20,  1765,  and  witnessed 
by  Benjamin  Perry,  Phillip  Perry  and  Joel 
Hollo  well,  Jr.  This  land  was  a  part  of  the 
patent  of  Adam  Baring,  dated  April  19', 
1719.  The  deed  was  proven  before  Benja¬ 
min  Wynns,  Clerk,  at  the  October  term, 
1765,  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Hertford 
County.  The  old  Colonial  Court  of  Pleas 
and  Quarter  Sessions  was  sometimes  re¬ 
ferred  to  as  the  “Superior  Court,”  as  dis¬ 
tinguished  from  the  old  court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  and  the  Court  of  Equity.  Benja- 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


45 


min  Wynns,  Jr.,  son  of  John  Wynns,  was  at 
the  time  Public  Register  (now  Register  of 
Deeds). 

Joseph  Perry’s  wife  was  named  Agatha. 
He  died  1826,  and  John  Winborne  was  ad¬ 
ministrator  of  his  estate.  His  children  were 
Preston,  Mary,  Patrick,  Joseph,  Elizabeth 
and  John  D.  Perry.  Their  mother,  Agatha, 
was  their  guardian. 

William  S.  Slaughter  was  guardian  of 
Mary  Jane  and  William  Perry,  orphans  of 
John  D.  Perry,  son  of  Joseph  Perry  and 
nephew  of  Preston. 

Preston  Perry,  son  of  Joseph  Perry  and 
wife,  Agatha,  was  Sheriff  of  the  county  in 

1844.  In  1850  he  married  Frances  Simons, 
daughter  of  Joseph  J.  Simons,  and  moved 
to  Texas,  where  they  now  have  descendants. 
His  brother,  Patrick  Perry,  who  was  Public 
Register  in  Hertford  County  in  1843  to 

1845,  had  preceded  his  brother  Preston  in 
seeking  a  fortune  in  the  distant  State  of 
Texas.  He  settled  in  Galveston  in  that 
State. 


46 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


In  1839  William  Perry  filed  in  Hertford 
County  liis  account  as  guardian  of  Fruzy 
and  Abner  Perry,  children  of  William 
Perry,  Sr.  William  Perry,  Jr.,  died  prior 
to  1844,  and  in  1844  Watson  succeeded  him 
as  guardian  of  Abner  Perry. 

Albert  B.  Adkins,  of  Hertford  County, 
married  Martha  J.  Perry,  daughter  of  John 
Perry,  of  Bertie  County.  John  Perry  had 
two  sons  killed  in  the  Confederate  army,  so 
did  his  brother  William  Perry,  of  the  same 
county.  John  and  William,  as  well  as  Mar¬ 
tin  Van  B.  Perry,  of  Littleton,  N.  C.,  were 
related  to  Joseph  Perry’s  family. 

J.  S.  Perry,  the  successful  real  estate 
speculator  of  Roanoke,  Ya.,  is  the  son  of 
Joseph  D.  Perry  and  wife,  Nancy  Sawyer, 
of  Pasquotank  Co.,  N.  C.,  and  the  grandson 
of  Frederick  Perry,  of  that  county. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


47 


STacot)  $)errp 

Jacob  Perry,  another  of  the  Perquimans 
County  family  of  Perrys,  moved  to  Hertford 
County  and  settled  in  the  Harrellsville  sec¬ 
tion.  He  married  Amillicent  Sowell,  of 
Bertie  County.  They  had  a  son  by  the  name 
of  Phillip  Turner  Perry.  After  the  death 
of  his  Sowell  wife  he  married  Miss  Fruzie 
Holloman,  of  Bertie  County. 

Phillip  Turner  Perry  was  born  in  1823, 
and  married  Miss  Belinda  Deanes,  of 
Chowan  County,  and  died  June  22,  1871, 
leaving  surviving  him  a  daughter,  Mary 
E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  S.  Winborne,  of 
Hertford  County,  and  a  son,  Phillip  T. 
Perry,  a  citizen  of  Windsor,  N.  C. 

Phillip  T.  Perry,  Sr.,  lived  at  the  old 
homestead  of  John  Winborne,  near  Cole- 
rain.  John  Winborne  and  Elisha  Winborne, 
the  writer’s  grandfather,  were  cousins. 

Simion  Perry,  who  appears  on  the  Census 
list  of  1790,  of  Hertford  County,  son  of 
Ezekiel  Perry  and  wife,  Sarah,  married 
Martha  Ann  Bains,  daughter  of  William 


48 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Bains  and  wife,  Winnefed,  of  Bertie  County. 
They  reared  two  daughters,  Jane  Perry  and 
Martha  E.  Perry,  and  three  sons,  Alexander, 
Augustus  and  John  Perry. 

John  Perry,  son  of  Simion,  married  Celia 
McGloughan.  They  had  two  children,  Wil¬ 
liam  J.  Perry  and  Susan  Perry.  John 
Perry  was  murdered  about  1824.  Young 
W.  J.  Perry  grew  up  to  he  quite  a  useful 
and  highly  respected  citizen  of  his  county. 
He  served  in  the  capacity  of  a  magistrate 
for  a  number  of  years,  a  position  of  honor 
and  distinction  in  those  days.  He  served 
his  county  for  a  number  of  years  as  Public 
Register.  He  married  Martha  Frances 
Askew,  and  they  reared  the  following  chil¬ 
dren:  John  A.,  George,  Thomas,  Joseph 
D.,  Susan  and  William  Augustus  Perry. 

W.  J.  Perry  died  in  1862,  leaving  his  wife 
and  children  surviving  him.  He  appointed 
John  O.  Askew  as  his  executor  to  settle  his 
estate. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


49 


CHAPTER  VII 


&?efetel  $errp 

Ezekiel  Perry  was  born  in  Perquimans 
County,  N.  C.,  and  was  the  son  of  Benjamin 
Perry  I  and  wife,  Susan  Perry,  nee  Walton. 
Susan  Perry  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Walton,  Sr.,  of  Chowan  County,  who  died 
in  1751.  Ezekiel  Perry  had  several  broth¬ 
ers  and  sisters.  After  reaching  his  majority 
he  married  Sarah  Eason,  daughter  of  Abner 
Eason,  Sr.,  and  wife,  Rachel  Eason,  nee 
Docton.  Mrs.  Eason  was  the  daughter  of 
Jacob  Docton  and  wife,  Sarah,  of  Per¬ 
quimans.  Abner  Eason,  Sr.,  died  in  1792. 
Ezekiel  and  his  wife,  Sarah,  moved  to  Hert¬ 
ford  County  before  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  settled  near  old  St.  John’s  Chapel. 
They  had  several  children — Abner,  Abram, 
Docton,  Susannah,  Simion  and  others.  Doc¬ 
ton  and  Abram  Perry  lived  in  Bertie,  while 
Abner,  Susannah  and  Simion  lived  in  Hert¬ 
ford  County.  Abner  Perry  enlisted  in  the 


4 


50 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Continental  army  for  three  years,  was  pro¬ 
moted  to  a  captaincy,  and  was  wounded  in 
the  hip  at  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court¬ 
house,  from  which  he  never  entirely  recov¬ 
ered. 

Andrew  Simons,  of  Pasquotank  County, 
died  in  1752,  leaving  surviving  him  his  wife, 
Mary,  and  sons,  John,  Joshua,  William  and 
Thomas  Simons. 

Joshua  Simons  married  Sallie  Jordan, 
daughter  of  the  first  Pleasant  Jordan,  who 
represented  Hertford  County  in  the  State 
Senate  in  1780.  Miss  Jordan  was  born  No¬ 
vember  24,  1773.  Simons  died,  leaving  sur¬ 
viving  him  his  wife,  Sally,  and  son,  John,  by 
a  former  marriage,  and  Joseph  J.  Simons, 
by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Jordan. 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


51 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Capt.  &tmer  $errp 

In  1783  Capt.  Abner  Perry  married  Peggy 
Burns,  of  Bertie  County,  and  they  bad  the 
following  children : 

Patsey,  born  October  2,  1784. 

Sallie,  born  April  2,  1787. 

Rebecca,  born  June  25,  1791. 

Andrew  T.,  born  August  6,  1793. 

John  B.,  born  December  6,  1796. 

Jennett,  born  April  22,  1800. 

Abner,  born  July  26,  1803. 

Capt.  Abner  Perry’s  wife,  Peggy,  died 
about  1805,  and  in  1808  he  married  the 
widow  of  Joshua  Simons,  nee  Sally  Jordan. 
By  this  marriage  he  had  one  son,  Abner  J. 
Perry,  born  October  11,  1809. 

Capt.  Abner  Perry  died  in  1810,  leaving 
surviving  him  his  widow,  Sally.  In  1812 
his  widow,  Sally  Perry,  married  Maurice 
Moore,  of  Bertie,  and  they  had  one  child, 
Elizabeth.  Maurice  Moore  died,  and  she 


52 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


married  in  1816  Moses  Moore.  They  had 
no  issue.  Moses  died,  and  she,  on  March  19, 
1820,  married  Elisha  E.  Horton,  of  Bertie. 
There  was  no  issue  by  this  marriage.  Mr. 
Horton  was  son  of  Hugh  Horton,  a  brother 
of  Neeham  Horton,  the  father  of  the  late 
J.  J.  Horton,  of  Hertford  County. 

Neeham  Horton  married  Elizabeth  Jor¬ 
dan,  a  sister  of  Sally.  Mrs.  Sallie  Horton 
died  a  widow  in  1847.  Widows  know  how 
to  win  and  capture. 

Fielding  wrote:  “Widows  are  a  study 
you  will  never  be  proficient  in.” 

Pope  in  his  discourse  on  the  wife  of  Bath, 
says : 

“For  since  fifteen  in  triumph  I  have  led 
Four  captive  husbands  from  church  to  bed.” 

Captain  l&rrp’S  CljUbren 

Patsey  Perry  married  wealthy  John  Dick¬ 
inson,  of  Northampton  County,  N.  C.,  in 
1806,  and  died  in  1834,  leaving  surviving  her 
several  children. 

Sallie  married  James  Ruffin.  He  lived 
but  a  short  time,  and  she  married  James 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


53 


Moore,  and  they  moved  to  Madison  County, 
Alabama. 

Rebecca  married  Marmaduke  Howard. 
He  died,  and  she  married  James  Bush  in 
1816,  and  they  moved  to  Alabama  and  were 
the  parents  of  Judge  Bush,  of  Marianna, 
Florida. 

Andrew  I.  married  Matilda  Jones,  and 
moved  south. 

John  B.  died  July  28,  1823,  unmarried. 

Jennette  married  Joseph  Deanes,  and 
they  moved  to  Alabama. 

Abner,  Jr.,  died  young. 

Capt.  Abner  Perry  died  in  1810. 

Capt.  Sfaner  31.  $errp 

Abner  J.  Perry  married,  February  12, 
1829,  Marena  Howard.  She  lived  but  a 
short  time,  and  died  without  leaving  issue. 
He  next  married,  January  6,  1831,  Julia  A. 
Powell.  She  died  without  issue,  and  he 
married  June  8,  1845,  her  sister,  Martha  J. 
Powell. 

Abner  J.  Perry  served  his  county  (Hert¬ 
ford)  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  good  old 


54 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


days  when  it  was  an  honor  to  be  a  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  also  served  as  Sheriff  for 
four  years,  succeeding  his  kinsman,  Preston 
Perry,  in  1844.  He  died  October  11,  1866, 
leaving  surviving  him  three  sons:  John  D. 
Perry,  born  June  12,  1843,  and  married 
February  8,  1869;  Helen  Johnston,  daugh¬ 
ter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Johnston,  of  Edenton,  N. 
C.,  and  moved  to  Wilcox  County,  Ala.,  in 
1871;  Abner  J.  Perry,  Jr.,  born  August  7, 
1853,  and  died  December  2,  1877,  without 
issue. 

Uteut.  3fe& Se  &.  $errp 

Jesse  A.  Perry,  born  February  18,  1838, 
and  married  February  18,  1862,  Mary  D. 
Fowle,  sister  of  the  late  Governor  Daniel  G. 
Fowle,  of  North  Carolina.  Jesse  A.  Perry 
served  in  the  Confederate  army  as  First 
Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Thomas  H.  Sharp’s 
company  from  Hertford  County.  Jesse  A. 
Perry’s  children  are  as  follows : 

Julia  P.,  born  May  15,  1864,  and  married 
Frank  Brinkley,  of  Pitt  County,  N.  C. 

James  F.,  born  August  30,  1866,  and  mar¬ 
ried  November  19,  1890,  Lucy  Freeman. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


55 


Sadie  T.,  born  April  28,  1868,  and  mar¬ 
ried  R.  C.  Josej  January  31,  1906,  of  Scot¬ 
land  Neck,  N.  C. 

Mary  F.  Perry,  born  February  12,  1870, 
married  December  2,  1891,  Dr.  C.  C.  Chris¬ 
tian,  of  Virginia. 

John  D.  Perry,  born  November  13,  1871, 
and  married  Julia  Dunn  in  April,  1903. 

Helen  C.  Perry,  born  August  1,  1873,  and 
married  Rev.  J.  K.  Henderson  on  June  4, 
1907. 

Jesse  A.  Perry  moved  from  Hertford 
County  in  1876  to  Scotland  Neck,  in  Hali¬ 
fax  County,  N.  C.,  and  was  mayor  of  that 
town  from  1891  to  1900.  His  wife  died  in 
1901,  and  he  now  resides  with  his  daughter, 
Julia,  in  Greenville,  Pitt  County,  N.  C. 

Abner  J.  Perry’s  second  and  third  wives 
were  daughters  of  Jesse  Powell,  the  son  of 
Lewis  Powell  and  wife,  Helen  Powell,  nee 
Gotten,  the  daughter  of  Arthur  Cotten. 

Jesse  Powell  was  born  December  5,  1772, 
and  on  October  27,  1798,  married  Charity 
Harrell,  of  Hertford  County,  and  moved  to 


56 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


Halifax  County,  and  reared  a  large  family, 
and  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  88  years. 

Jesse  Powell  had  two  brothers  of  the 
whole  blood,  Decader  and  Lewis  Powell,  and 
two  brothers  of  the  half-blood,  Perry  C. 
Tyler  and  Richard  Tyler.  The  mother  of 
the  two  Tylers  was  the  widow  of  Lewis 
Powell,  Sr. 

Abner  J.  Perry  and  Joseph  J.  Perry  fre¬ 
quently  visited  each  other  and  called  each 
other  cousin,  so  I  am  informed  by  Jesse  A. 
Perry,  a  son  of  Abner  J.  Perry.  The  two 
families  were  evidently  from  the  same  Isle 
of  Wight  family  of  Perrys. 

Thomas  A.  Buxton,  who  was  born  in  Nor¬ 
folk,  Ya.,  married  a  Miss  Perry,  of  North¬ 
ampton  County,  N.  C.,  about  1835  or  1840, 
and  they  had  several  children,  among  them 
being  Hon.  J.  A.  Buxton,  of  Newport  News, 
Va.  Mrs.  Buxton,  had  a  brother,  John 
Perry,  who  moved  with  his  family  to  Ten¬ 
nessee  about  1845.  His  sister,  Charlotte, 
married  Thomas  Lanier,  and  her  second  sis¬ 
ter  married  John  Holmes.  The  latter,  with 
his  family,  also  moved  to  Tennessee. 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


57 


CHAPTER  IX 


£s>usan  &mt  $errp 

Susan  Ann  Perry,  of  Hertford  County, 
first  married,  about  1809,  Charles  Jenkins, 
half-brother  of  Winborne  Jenkins  IV. 
Charles  Jenkins  died  about  1816,  leaving  his 
widow  surviving  him  with  three  children, 
viz :  Mary  Ann,  Charles  and  Wm.  Perry 
Jenkins.  She  lived  at  the  home  place  of  the 
late  Wm.  P.  Jenkins  in  St.  John’s  Township, 
in  Hertford  County,  and  the  old  ex-Sheriff 
and  legislator  of  Hertford  County,  Thomas 
Deanes,  lived  near  Murfreesboro,  where  T. 
M.  Forbes,  Jr.,  now  resides.  The  old  Sheriff 
was  a  widower  with  two  children.  About 
1820  the  widow  Jenkins  and  widower 
Thomas  Deanes  became  united  in  the  holy 
bonds  of  matrimony.  Sheriff  Deanes’s  first 
wife  was  a  Miss  Ward,  and  the  issue  of  that 
marriage  were  Mike  Ward  Deanes  and  Sal- 
lie  Deanes.  Sheriff  Deanes  by  his  second 
marriage  (to  the  widow  Jenkins)  reared 


58 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


three  children:  Judith,  who  married  the 
late  William  Boone,  of  Northampton 
County. 

Their  son,  Thomas  Deanes  Boone,  is  the 
present  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Hert¬ 
ford. 

Their  second  daughter,  Ann  Eliza,  mar¬ 
ried  the  late  John  E.  Maget,  of  Northamp¬ 
ton  County,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  Ida, 
the  widow  of  the  late  W.  T.  Brown,  of  Hert¬ 
ford  County,  and  the  wife  of  Cecil  W.  Har¬ 
rell,  of  Woodland,  N.  C. 

Their  youngest  daughter,  Susan,  married 
Rev.  Reuben  Jones,  of  Virginia. 

Their  daughter  Jessie  married  S.  P.  Win- 
borne,  of  Hertford  County. 

Mike  Ward  Deanes  married  Mary  Ann 
Jenkins,  the  daughter  of  his  father’s  second 
wife  by  her  first  marriage.  They  reared  two 
daughters  and  one  son,  Charles  Thomas 
Deanes,  now  of  Aulander,  N.  C.  One  of  the 
daughters  was  the  wife  of  the  late  Henry  C. 
Edwards,  of  Northampton  County,  and  the 
other  was  the  first  wife  of  the  late  Andrew 
Jackson  Harrell,  of  the  same  county. 


TEE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


59 


Sallie,  the  sister  of  Mike  W.  Deanes,  be¬ 
came  the  wife  of  Thomas  Barnes,  who  lived 
at  the  W.  T.  Brown  place  near  Murfrees¬ 
boro.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  late 
Judge  Wm.  Deanes  Barnes,  of  Florida.  They 
moved  to  Marianna,  Fla.,  about  1854. 

Charles  Jenkins,  the  eldest  son  of  Susan 
Ann  Jenkins,  lived  and  died  near  Wood¬ 
land,  N.  C.  Wm.  P.  Jenkins  lived  during 
his  whole  life  at  his  father’s  old  home  in 
Hertford  County.  His  first  wife  was 
Martha  Ann  Goodson,  of  Northampton 
County.  They  had  thirteen  children,  but 
reared  only  four:  Mary  F.  Baby,  Dr.  Pres¬ 
ton  C.  Jenkins,  of  Roxobel,  N.  C. ;  Wm.  W. 
Jenkins,  late  of  Hertford  County,  and  J.  P. 
Jenkins,  who  died  in  the  Confederate  army. 

It  is  a  difficult  question  to  decide  who 
were  the  parents  of  Susan  Ann  Perry.  In 
1830  she  appears  on  the  Census  list  of  Hert¬ 
ford  County  as  widow  Susannah  Deanes, 
and  owning  thirty-five  slaves.  Maj.  Jno. 
W.  Moore  was  positive  in  his  statement  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Abner  Perry, 
but  I  do  not  find  her  name  among  the  list 


60 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


of  liis  children.  Jesse  A.  Perry,  Dr.  P.  C. 
Jenkins  and  Charles  Thomas  Deanes  are 
under  the  impression  (but  have  no  definite 
information)  that  she  was  of  Josiah  Perry’s 
family.  Susannah  and  Susan  Ann  are  fre¬ 
quent  names  in  Benjamin  Perry’s  family.  I 
have  failed  to  find  the  name  in  Josiah 
Perry’s  family.  If  she  is  not  the  daughter 
of  Captain  Abner  she  must  be  his  sister  or 
niece.  It  is  more  likely  she  was  the  daugh¬ 
ter  of  John  W.  Perry.  Captain  Perry  had 
several  brothers  and  sisters. 

Samuel  $krrp 

Among  the  older  Perrys  we  have  found 
in  Chowan  County,  N.  C.,  is  Samuel  Perry, 
who  died  in  that  county  in  1760,  leaving 
his  wife,  Susannah,  and  children — Samuel, 
Amos,  Mordecai,  Ann,  Leah  and  Grace. 

Amos,  son  of  Samuel  Perry,  married  Feb¬ 
ruary  10,  1783,  his  cousin,  Elizabeth  Perry, 
of  Perquimans  County.  He  died  in  1804, 
leaving  his  wife,  one  son,  Amos,  and  two 
daughters,  Treasy  Perry  and  Sarah  Hurdle. 

Samuel  Perry,  Jr.,  died  in  1842,  leaving 
surviving  him  his  wife,  Christian,  son,  Wil- 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


61 


lis,  and  daughters,  Millie  and  Feriby  By¬ 
rum,  of  Chowan  County. 

Hester  Perry,  a  widow,  died  in  1850,  leav¬ 
ing  three  sons  and  two  daughters :  Starkey, 
John  and  William.  Her  daughter  Charlotte 
married  August  28,  1845,  Cullen  A.  Halsey, 
of  her  native  county,  and  the  other  daugh¬ 
ter,  Winnifred,  married  May  4,  1839,  Miles 
Ashley,  of  Chowan.  There  are  descendants 
of  these  families  still  living  in  Chowan  and 
adjoining  counties. 

The  following  Perrys  lived  in  Hertford 
County  as  heads  of  families  at  the  following- 
periods,  as  appears  from  the  U.  S.  Census: 

1790. 

Ezekiel  Perry,  Capt.  Ahner  Perry,  Simeon 
Perry,  William  Perry,  James  Perry,  Celia 
Perry,  Elisha  Perry,  William  Perry. 

1800. 

Elisha  Perry,  Seth  Perry,  Abner  Perry, 
James  Perry. 

1810. 

Jacob  Perry,  Joseph  Perry,  Sally  Perry, 
John  Perry. 


62 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


1820. 

Joseph  Perry,  John  W.  Perry. 

1830. 

William  N.  Perry,  Abner  J.  Perry,  James 
Perry,  Agatha  Perry. 

In  Bertie  In  1790. 

Etheldred  Perry,  John  Perry,  Isaac 
Perry,  James  Perry,  Joshua  Perry,  George 
Perry,  Thomas  Perry,  Doc-ton  Perry. 

Conclusion 

Several  of  the  Perrys  moved  to  the  more 
Southern  States.  There  were  a  great  num¬ 
ber  of  Perrys  in  Bertie,  Gates,  Perquimans 
and  Chowan  during  the  above  periods.  Hen¬ 
ning,  in  his  early  history  of  Virginia,  men¬ 
tions  a  number  of  the  early  Perrys  in  Vir¬ 
ginia,  and  those  wishing  to  trace  the  family 
further  might  find  it  profitable  to  consult 
his  works;  also  Perry’s  Historical  Selec¬ 
tions  of  Virginia. 

William  Hayner  Perry,  of  Greenville,  S. 
C.,  was  born  in  Greenville,  S.  C.,  June  9, 
1837.  He  was  a  lawyer,  soldier  in  the  Con- 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


63 


federate  army,  member  of  the  State  Conven¬ 
tion  of  South  Carolina  in  1865,  member  of 
Legislature  of  South  Carolina  in  1865-6, 
Solicitor  of  the  Eighth  District  1868-72, 
member  of  State  Senate  from  Greenville 
County  1880-84,  member  of  Congress  in 
49th  and  50th  Congress  as  a  Democrat. 

Ben.  Frank  Perry,  Pendleton  District,  S. 
C.,  was  born  May  20,  1805.  He  was  a  law¬ 
yer  and  author,  State  Senator  in  1835,  Gov¬ 
ernor  after  the  war;  elected  U.  S.  Senator 
in  1870,  but  not  allowed  to  take  his  seat. 
In  1872  elected  to  U.  S.  House  of  Represent¬ 
atives,  but  refused  his  seat;  author  of 
“Reminiscence  of  Public  Men.”  He  died 
in  1886  near  Greenville,  S.  C. 

Madison  S.  Perry  was  Governor  of 
Florida  in  1857-1864.  These  persons  were 
evidently  descendants  of  our  North  Caro¬ 
lina  families. 

Matthew  Galbraith  Perry  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey;  born  in  1794  and  died  in 
1858.  He  was  a  commodore  in  the  U.  S. 
Navy,  and  distinguished  himself  as  an  offi¬ 
cer  in  several  important  naval  conflicts. 


64 


THE  PERRY  FAMILY. 


His  brother,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  was  also 
a  distinguished  naval  hero  in  America.  In 
the  great  naval  conflict  between  the  English 
and  United  States  navy  on  Lake  Erie  he 
displayed  great  ability  and  captured  the 
whole  English  squadron,  and  was  immortal¬ 
ized  in  his  message,  “We  have  met  the  enemy 
and  they  are  ours.” 

General  Matthew  Calbraid  Butler,  a  dis¬ 
tinguished  officer  in  the  Confederate  army 
and  a  United  States  Senator  from  South 
Carolina  from  1877  to  1895,  was  the  son  of 
Jane  T.  Perry,  daughter  of  Captain  Perry, 
U.  S.  N.,  and  sister  of  Commodore  Perry, 
and  of  the  hero  of  Lake  Erie. 


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